Will LeBeau be held accountable?

[Oviedo]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

I just don't think Lebeau suddenly lost it after countless years of mastery folks...

It's this simple...there are glaring holes on this Defense...holes that can be hidden when Troy is healthy.

It's near the end of the line for a great deal of the Steelers D we have known for years

The secondary is pathetic...Three games this year a CB or Safety had a chance for a pick that would've put the nail in the coffin for drives that ultimately undid our chances.

Think about it...the difference between 6-6 and 9-3 are three missed picks on 4th Quarter drives. Is that Lebeau? No it's personell that can't execute.

think about it:
Townsend (Done)
Hampton ( likely gone)
Clark ( likely gone)
Aaron Smith (old)
Brett Keisel (old)
James Farrior (old)
Ike (bad)
Gay (bad)

I am not saying Smith and Keisel, Farrior are bad but I believe these positions will need addressed next year if you are going to do it through the draft. (I do think Farrior thought leading the team in tackles, is now on the decline).

think about it 7 of the 11 starting positions are what I consider weak or soon to be weak spots.

My point is Lebeau hasn't lost a thing. The Defense is going to need retooling and that may mean next season.

just my .02

brothervad

I don't think that you can say that Keisel is old. He's 31, but this is only his 6th season as a starter (James Harrison is 31 and in his 6th season as a starter, but you didn't call him old). And I don't think you can call Ike bad. The TD he gave up in this game was an egregious error (much like the TD he gave up to Marvin Harrison in 2005), but he is otherwise a solid corner (with the notable exception of his hands, as we are all painfully aware). We also already have a potential young replacement for Aaron Smith (Hood) and possible young replacements for Gay (Burnett or Lewis). I think the only true pressing "needs" that we have are at NT and FS, particularly if Hampton and/or Clark is not re-signed. We could use some depth at the other positions, but it is not as dire as you make it sound.

I think Kiesel has been a brightspot on this defense. The guy at times is dominant which should not occur out of the 3-4 end position. I think he routinely leads the team in QB pressures and may be pushing a creer high for sacks.

I do think Farriors play in pass coverage has fallen off a cliff. Still good against the run but terrible in coverage against RBs.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

The mind doesn't fire at the same rate forever! Forgive me for saying that DL..........

Don't worry...about 30 seconds after LeBeau reads this post, he'll forget what you said.

LeBeau has forgotten more about playing defense than you will ever know. Of course, I'm not sure if that is a compliment or an insult toward LeBeau.

That's funny! No doubt he forgot more than I will ever know. He still can coach and teach his defense...He looks to be a little behind when the firing squad hits the field. I hope people don't think I am saying DL forgets his name from time to time. I saying the wheels spin before they hit the pavement. It is just the nature of the game and it happens...Just life. He might be better off simplifying the prevent to ensure everyone is on the same page when the hurry up kicks in. It is night & day when the O is at the line calling plays verus down & distance play calling out of the huddle against the O's personnell. I feel confident in saying that if the Steelers were in a simple umbrella in these final drives you could take 2-3 Ls off the board. There was no time for patience and teams would have come up short. The O will huddle or call a TO at some point...Thats your time to get 2-3 plays called. It is a "copycat" league and other teams watch the films.

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

I just don't think Lebeau suddenly lost it after countless years of mastery folks...

It's this simple...there are glaring holes on this Defense...holes that can be hidden when Troy is healthy.

It's near the end of the line for a great deal of the Steelers D we have known for years

The secondary is pathetic...Three games this year a CB or Safety had a chance for a pick that would've put the nail in the coffin for drives that ultimately undid our chances.

Think about it...the difference between 6-6 and 9-3 are three missed picks on 4th Quarter drives. Is that Lebeau? No it's personell that can't execute.

think about it:
Townsend (Done)
Hampton ( likely gone)
Clark ( likely gone)
Aaron Smith (old)
Brett Keisel (old)
James Farrior (old)
Ike (bad)
Gay (bad)

I am not saying Smith and Keisel, Farrior are bad but I believe these positions will need addressed next year if you are going to do it through the draft. (I do think Farrior thought leading the team in tackles, is now on the decline).

think about it 7 of the 11 starting positions are what I consider weak or soon to be weak spots.

My point is Lebeau hasn't lost a thing. The Defense is going to need retooling and that may mean next season.

just my .02

brothervad

I don't think that you can say that Keisel is old. He's 31, but this is only his 6th season as a starter (James Harrison is 31 and in his 6th season as a starter, but you didn't call him old). And I don't think you can call Ike bad. The TD he gave up in this game was an egregious error (much like the TD he gave up to Marvin Harrison in 2005), but he is otherwise a solid corner (with the notable exception of his hands, as we are all painfully aware). We also already have a potential young replacement for Aaron Smith (Hood) and possible young replacements for Gay (Burnett or Lewis). I think the only true pressing "needs" that we have are at NT and FS, particularly if Hampton and/or Clark is not re-signed. We could use some depth at the other positions, but it is not as dire as you make it sound.

I think Kiesel has been a brightspot on this defense. The guy at times is dominant which should not occur out of the 3-4 end position. I think he routinely leads the team in QB pressures and may be pushing a creer high for sacks.

I do think Farriors play in pass coverage has fallen off a cliff. Still good against the run but terrible in coverage against RBs.

Keisel is playing at his new contract. Farrior is not. I think the Steelers might have made a mistake with that new contract. Unless Farrior is hurt...He is dropping quickly. They better get a "thumper" early in next years draft.

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

I just don't think Lebeau suddenly lost it after countless years of mastery folks...

It's this simple...there are glaring holes on this Defense...holes that can be hidden when Troy is healthy.

It's near the end of the line for a great deal of the Steelers D we have known for years

The secondary is pathetic...Three games this year a CB or Safety had a chance for a pick that would've put the nail in the coffin for drives that ultimately undid our chances.

Think about it...the difference between 6-6 and 9-3 are three missed picks on 4th Quarter drives. Is that Lebeau? No it's personell that can't execute.

think about it:
Townsend (Done)
Hampton ( likely gone)
Clark ( likely gone)
Aaron Smith (old)
Brett Keisel (old)
James Farrior (old)
Ike (bad)
Gay (bad)

I am not saying Smith and Keisel, Farrior are bad but I believe these positions will need addressed next year if you are going to do it through the draft. (I do think Farrior thought leading the team in tackles, is now on the decline).

think about it 7 of the 11 starting positions are what I consider weak or soon to be weak spots.

My point is Lebeau hasn't lost a thing. The Defense is going to need retooling and that may mean next season.

just my .02

brothervad

I don't think that you can say that Keisel is old. He's 31, but this is only his 6th season as a starter (James Harrison is 31 and in his 6th season as a starter, but you didn't call him old). And I don't think you can call Ike bad. The TD he gave up in this game was an egregious error (much like the TD he gave up to Marvin Harrison in 2005), but he is otherwise a solid corner (with the notable exception of his hands, as we are all painfully aware). We also already have a potential young replacement for Aaron Smith (Hood) and possible young replacements for Gay (Burnett or Lewis). I think the only true pressing "needs" that we have are at NT and FS, particularly if Hampton and/or Clark is not re-signed. We could use some depth at the other positions, but it is not as dire as you make it sound.

I think Kiesel has been a brightspot on this defense. The guy at times is dominant which should not occur out of the 3-4 end position. I think he routinely leads the team in QB pressures and may be pushing a creer high for sacks.

I do think Farriors play in pass coverage has fallen off a cliff. Still good against the run but terrible in coverage against RBs.

Keisel is playing at his new contract. Farrior is not. I think the Steelers might have made a mistake with that new contract. Unless Farrior is hurt...He is dropping quickly. They better get a "thumper" early in next years draft.

Luckily, though, Farrior did not get a huge cap-crippling signing bonus. He signed a 5 year deal in the summer of 2008 with a $5 million bonus. His base salary for this season is $2.975 and drops to $2.825 for the next 3 seasons. The salary cap hit if we cut him is easy to calculate. If we cut him with 3 years left on the deal, it would be a $3 million cap hit...If we cut him with 2 years left on the deal, it would be a $2 million cap hit...If we cut him with 1 year left on the deal, it would be a $1 million cap hit...

By the way, Keisel signed a 5 year extension this summer with a $5 million signing bonus as well. While Farrior's deal may not look so hot right now, Keisel's appears to be a bargain.

[SteelTorch]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

When our offense struggled last season and the season before, Bruce Arians was thrown under the bus repeatedly, and for good reason. Now, we are now at a four game losing streak, and the opposite seems to be the problem.

We have:

A secondary that can't cover.
Cornerbacks who can't get interceptions.
A line that can't stop the run.
Linebackers who repeatedly miss tackles (I'm looking at you, Farrior)
A defense as a whole that becomes a sieve in the fourth quarter, and gives up crucial drives at the worst moments.

What I want to know is: will fans be fair and hold bad word LeBeau accountable? Even Tomlin is getting more criticism than this guy right now. Seems like a double standard to me. Granted, I know execution is something that is up to the players, but really, this defense is nowhere near what it should be.

And don't even try to pin this one on the offense. Granted, they made mistakes too. But 24 points is 24 points, and that should have been enough to win against the lowly Raiders.

Not at the top of my list of problems.

Yeah, that "a line that can't stop the run" note confused me. We are leading the league in rush defense (77.8 rushing yards allowed per game, which is even better than the 80.2 rushing yards allowed per game last year, which was second in the league). I agree that our pass defense is pathetic right now, but you can't say we aren't able to stop the run!

Maybe you guys should just ignore that part...

I honestly don't know what I was thinking when I typed that, I think it was because we just allowed over 100 yards rushing to the Raiders. NEVERTHELESS, my other points about the defense still stand.

[NorthCoast]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

I went to training camp this past summer and I seen Joe Burnett make a nice INT against Ben. Joe will be alright.

[JTP53609]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

I went to training camp this past summer and I seen Joe Burnett make a nice INT against Ben. Joe will be alright.

yea i went and saw limas sweed make some real nice catches too....

[JUST-PLAIN-NASTY]

Re: Will LeBeau be held accountable?

I just don't think Lebeau suddenly lost it after countless years of mastery folks...

It's this simple...there are glaring holes on this Defense...holes that can be hidden when Troy is healthy.

It's near the end of the line for a great deal of the Steelers D we have known for years

The secondary is pathetic...Three games this year a CB or Safety had a chance for a pick that would've put the nail in the coffin for drives that ultimately undid our chances.

Think about it...the difference between 6-6 and 9-3 are three missed picks on 4th Quarter drives. Is that Lebeau? No it's personell that can't execute.

think about it:
Townsend (Done)
Hampton ( likely gone)
Clark ( likely gone)
Aaron Smith (old)
Brett Keisel (old)
James Farrior (old)
Ike (bad)
Gay (bad)

I am not saying Smith and Keisel, Farrior are bad but I believe these positions will need addressed next year if you are going to do it through the draft. (I do think Farrior thought leading the team in tackles, is now on the decline).

think about it 7 of the 11 starting positions are what I consider weak or soon to be weak spots.

My point is Lebeau hasn't lost a thing. The Defense is going to need retooling and that may mean next season.

just my .02

brothervad

I don't think that you can say that Keisel is old. He's 31, but this is only his 6th season as a starter (James Harrison is 31 and in his 6th season as a starter, but you didn't call him old). And I don't think you can call Ike bad. The TD he gave up in this game was an egregious error (much like the TD he gave up to Marvin Harrison in 2005), but he is otherwise a solid corner (with the notable exception of his hands, as we are all painfully aware). We also already have a potential young replacement for Aaron Smith (Hood) and possible young replacements for Gay (Burnett or Lewis). I think the only true pressing "needs" that we have are at NT and FS, particularly if Hampton and/or Clark is not re-signed. We could use some depth at the other positions, but it is not as dire as you make it sound.

I think Kiesel has been a brightspot on this defense. The guy at times is dominant which should not occur out of the 3-4 end position. I think he routinely leads the team in QB pressures and may be pushing a creer high for sacks.

I do think Farriors play in pass coverage has fallen off a cliff. Still good against the run but terrible in coverage against RBs.

Keisel is playing at his new contract. Farrior is not. I think the Steelers might have made a mistake with that new contract. Unless Farrior is hurt...He is dropping quickly. They better get a "thumper" early in next years draft.

Luckily, though, Farrior did not get a huge cap-crippling signing bonus. He signed a 5 year deal in the summer of 2008 with a $5 million bonus. His base salary for this season is $2.975 and drops to $2.825 for the next 3 seasons. The salary cap hit if we cut him is easy to calculate. If we cut him with 3 years left on the deal, it would be a $3 million cap hit...If we cut him with 2 years left on the deal, it would be a $2 million cap hit...If we cut him with 1 year left on the deal, it would be a $1 million cap hit...

By the way, Keisel signed a 5 year extension this summer with a $5 million signing bonus as well. While Farrior's deal may not look so hot right now, Keisel's appears to be a bargain.

I agree. Nice to see a player (Keisel) actually elevate his play after he signs an extension. I don't know what is wrong with Farrior. His play is significantly down from last year. I'm not talking stats. You can get credit for a tackle behind or at the LOS or 5 yards down field. Still shows up on the stats sheet. Maybe he is hurt. I watched Casey against the Raiders and he was keeping Farrior clean from the inside guys so it isn't him.

<cough>Good year next year (Uncapped Year) for some vets to consider retiring and not killing the Steelers cap for 2011.<cough>